How did I ever do a road trip before the Model 3?

[jkoya]

Sure! The SCs among our route weren’t exactly scenic, but I have a couple pics from the maiden voyage!

Thank You - I enjoy looking at SC pics from across the country !!

 

[sduck]

Great review. I've taken a few long road trips in my model 3, and agree - how did I ever do it before?

I was reminded today - my model 3 is at the body shop, getting a small fender bender fixed. I had to drive to Knoxville and back, about a 6 hour drive. i took my wifes Audi A7, which is a really nice larger super premium euro luxury car. It's got a nicer ride than the model 3, at least it's cushier and has slightly less road noise. But I was constantly missing any and all of the autopilot features I've started taking for granted. I mean, even with cruise control, I was constantly almost driving into other cars - what's the deal with that? And having to be constantly steering the thing just to stay in the lane - how primitive. And when I stopped at starbucks, the car yelled at me because I got out with the engine still running. How rude! And don't even get me going on the gas station I had to stop at. Sheesh.

 

[toolman335]

Great recap by the OP, and that was with a SR+. Personally I'm not sure that I'd enjoy having to stop a few extra times, but it would still beat having an ICE with dirty gas station stops.
I have a LR, so I actually enjoy the extra few minutes that I can be at a supercharger before the idling fee threat text arrives
With 300 miles or so of range I might make an extra stop on a trip compared to my ICE days, but I arrive far more refreshed an alert than I ever thought possible.

 

[Aellinsar]

I agree with your post pretty much word for word!

 

[jesusbowls]

How are y'all so comfortable using AutoPilot for such long highway stretches? There's never a highway driving situation where I'm not needing/wanting to change lanes regularly due to overtaking slower drivers. Even with cruise control at, say, 75mph on a 65mph speed limit, I'd never be able to stay in the same lane for more than a couple minutes.

Don't get me wrong, I love AP and it works great, I just don't personally find it viable for long stretches.

 

[dmurphy]

How are y'all so comfortable using AutoPilot for such long highway stretches? There's never a highway driving situation where I'm not needing/wanting to change lanes regularly due to overtaking slower drivers. Even with cruise control at, say, 75mph on a 65mph speed limit, I'd never be able to stay in the same lane for more than a couple minutes.

Don't get me wrong, I love AP and it works great, I just don't personally find it viable for long stretches.

Truly, I just calmed down. Stopped driving so aggressive. I've stopped treating driving like a race.

It's amazing but Autopilot has actually made me a more attentive, better, calmer driver. And the Model 3's integration is so good that I've broken some really bad phone habits, too. I put my phone on the wireless pad, close the lid, and that's where it stays until I'm back in Park.

 

[jesusbowls]

Truly, I just calmed down. Stopped driving so aggressive. I've stopped treating driving like a race.

Granted, I drive too aggressively (frequent lane changes, cruise control at 15mph above the speed limit, and frequent bursts above that), but even setting the cruise at 70mph (on a 65mph speed limit), one still regularly ends up behind a person driving at or slower than the speed limit, requiring a lane change, or just a permanent reduction in speed while staying on AutoPilot. Where do you draw the line? If CC is set at 70mph, will you take control and change lanes at 68mph? 65mph? 60mph? Whatever your threshold is, you're still likely to encounter that situation a lot, right?

 

[dmurphy]

Granted, I drive too aggressively (frequent lane changes, cruise control at 15mph above the speed limit, and frequent bursts above that), but even setting the cruise at 70mph (on a 65mph speed limit), one still regularly ends up behind a person driving at or slower than the speed limit, requiring a lane change, or just a permanent reduction in speed while staying on AutoPilot. Where do you draw the line? If CC is set at 70mph, will you take control and change lanes at 68mph? 65mph? 60mph? Whatever your threshold is, you're still likely to encounter that situation a lot, right?

Well, this is NJ - I do my best to avoid NY and PA, so that helps. Everyone here goes too damn fast.

Now, that said ... this is where the FSD package is worth its weight in gold... Being able to put my blinker on, get around the slowpoke, and get back where I was - without ever disengaging Autopilot - is magnificent. Being honest, the auto-lane-changing is by far the best part of FSD right now, and makes the entire Autopilot "experience" (I hate using that word, but here it is ...) just completely fluid.

For speed changes and stuff, I assume you're using the right steering wheel buttons to adjust the speed and following distance while driving, right? I've met a few folks who think they have to do it via the screen, and that's not the case at all ...

... but truthfully; every time I change lanes with Autopilot still engaged, I'm grateful for the foresight to buy FSD.

 

[jesusbowls]

Well, that answers that, the FSD in the case is a huge advantage over basic AP for highway driving. Thank you for clarifying.

 

[dmurphy]

Well, that answers that, the FSD in the case is a huge advantage over basic AP for highway driving. Thank you for clarifying.

Gigantic. I honestly think it could be a great selling point for FSD; it turns Autopilot into something completely smooth... I don't know why Tesla doesn't pump that feature more; Smart Summon is a neat trick to show your friends, but the lane changing? Tremendous.

 

[HappyWino]

Now, that said ... this is where the FSD package is worth its weight in gold... Being able to put my blinker on, get around the slowpoke, and get back where I was - without ever disengaging Autopilot - is magnificent. Being honest, the auto-lane-changing is by far the best part of FSD right now, and makes the entire Autopilot "experience" (I hate using that word, but here it is ...) just completely fluid.

I rarely use "plain" AP for highway driving, I use NOA instead and that way I rarely have to use the signal to go around slowpokes, the car just takes care of it without my intervention. It's even "thoughtful" enough to get back out of the passing lane

 

[TezTex]

I am looking at making a 2,400 mile (round trip) trip next month in my SR+ and I am a little nervous about range. This post help tremendously.

 

[Electroman]

Autopilot is good but not much different than other cars I’ve owned that have Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control. Seems people think Tesla is the only vehicle manufacturer with Level 1 driving assist. Navigate on Autopilot is a bit more advanced, but Cadillac has SuperCruise, totally hands free while on the Interstate. FSD is where Tesla will be ahead, if it ever gets released to the masses. Although $7,000 is a significant amount of money for the convenience of semi-autonomous driving.

Not even close. There is a reason why hundreds of thousands of Tesla owners use Autopilot every day and why they love that capability, and on the other hand you hardly hear anything about the equivalent feature in other manufacturer models if you happen to browse through their forums.

I will just leave it at that.. without turning this topic over an AP only discussion. There are plenty of threads that compare with others.

 

[emailrob]

Granted, I drive too aggressively (frequent lane changes, cruise control at 15mph above the speed limit, and frequent bursts above that), but even setting the cruise at 70mph (on a 65mph speed limit), one still regularly ends up behind a person driving at or slower than the speed limit, requiring a lane change, or just a permanent reduction in speed while staying on AutoPilot. Where do you draw the line? If CC is set at 70mph, will you take control and change lanes at 68mph? 65mph? 60mph? Whatever your threshold is, you're still likely to encounter that situation a lot, right?

I used to be like you. But more and more I find my habits changing. Sure, it means I'll be taken down to 60 for a bit, but I know auto lane change will pick me up soon enough when it's safe. Then I'll be back to where I started. A driver will *usually* be able to find a spot to take and overtake a slowpoke. To some, that's the fun of driving. My fun is shifting to worrying less about the jerk who just cut me up.

Likely, I will lose little time over the course of the whole journey. What I gain back is a more peaceful drive

 

[GoergeJetson]

Not even close. There is a reason why hundreds of thousands of Tesla owners use Autopilot every day and why they love that capability, and on the other hand you hardly hear anything about the equivalent feature in other manufacturer models if you happen to browse through their forums.

I will just leave it at that.. without turning this topic over an AP only discussion. There are plenty of threads that compare with others.

When you've owned and driven other cars with equivalent Level 1 driving assist features as Autopilot let me know. I still hold to my statement that the AutoPilot system isn't as great as most Tesla owners say. Most of the people who rave about AutoPilot have never owned another car with advanced driving assist features.

 

[MacGreiner]

I'd love to use Supercruise but most of the local roads I use to get to work are not yet mapped or deemed suitable. On Autopilot, I don't have that restraint.

 

[nvx1977]

I did a road trip to Disneyworld around Thanksgiving (from New Hampshire to Orlando, Florida). Despite some quarter-mile lines at superchargers in California, I had no issues at any of my stops along the east coast (drove down on Thanksgiving day). Like the OP, sometimes our bio-breaks took longer than the ideal charging times recommended by ABRP.

I used to drive from Boston MA to Atlanta GA quite a bit, and I'm certain my Model 3 made better time than my old ICEVs.

Also got to convoy with a few Teslas on the journey. Funny to watch the exact same NoA driving decisions made by both cars.

 

[Yev000]

When you've owned and driven other cars with equivalent Level 1 driving assist features as Autopilot let me know. I still hold to my statement that the AutoPilot system isn't as great as most Tesla owners say. Most of the people who rave about AutoPilot have never owned another car with advanced driving assist features.

How Does Tesla Autopilot Compare To BMW's Autonomous Tech

Typically the cars with those options cost more than SR+ and drive like a learner. Why don't you do a comparison review yourself, since you have driven so many cars?

Saying Telsa AP does not deserve the hype without providing details is just trolling.

 

[GoergeJetson]

How Does Tesla Autopilot Compare To BMW's Autonomous Tech

Typically the cars with those options cost more than SR+ and drive like a learner. Why don't you do a comparison review yourself, since you have driven so many cars?

Saying Telsa AP does not deserve the hype without providing details is just trolling.

BMW has one of the poorest driving assist systems on the market, check out the Consumer Reports story on this. Honda and Subaru have systems that are better.

Also, the ghost braking from my AutoPilot system from shadows on the road is very annoying, something I never experienced in other driving assist systems, at least not to the extent that my Tesla ghost brakes. If Autopilot cannot distinguish the difference between a car and a road shadow, it's not that great of a system.

Here is some information to help you understand the differences between driver assist systems.
Cadillac Tops Tesla in Consumer Reports' First Ranking of Automated Driving Systems
Not all level 2 driver assists are equal, IIHS finds after testing

 

[Electroman]

18 months old report. And if you read through that they say Tesla's is much better in lane keeping and everything you want in a driver assist, but considers the driver monitoring system of Cadillac superior and hence the higher rank.